Page 61 of Her Dark Salvation

She swallowed her bite and gave me an arch look. “Well, I’ve had a few problems with the management.”

I laughed, hard, picked up my wine glass, and tipped it in her direction.

“Honestly? I’m convinced, now more than ever, that I’m ready to move on.”

“I’m that good of a boss, huh?”

She chuckled and took another bite of burrata, chewing slowly, a pensive expression on her face.

“For the past twenty-some years, I shaped my career, in part, based on what other people told me I could and couldn’t handle. Believe it or not”—she pointed at me with her fork—“I wasn’t always the outgoing life of the party you see sitting across from you.”

“I’m shocked.”

“I know. Hard to believe,” she said wryly and let out a sigh. “As much as I hate to admit it, after the past couple of weeks, I’m not sure I could have handled the intensity back then. I needed time to gain confidence. Time to develop the coping skills I use when I clam up.”

“I’ve seen the clam ups. They’re not as bad as you make them sound.”

“Trust me—they used to be. Jeff called it deer-in-the-headlights Anna.” She rolled her eyes, and I snorted. “Now, it just feels worse than it looks. Being a researcher and professor gave me an opportunity to develop those coping skills, and I’m thankful for that time.”

“I sense abutcoming.”

She nodded while she chewed and washed her bite down with more wine.

“But it’s time to move on. Don’t get me wrong; being a professor has been satisfying in ways I hadn’t imagined, and I’m proud of my research and my publications and the impact I’ve made on my students. But this? This is what I always wanted to do.”

“This being…”

“Working in a corporate office, meeting new people, facing new challenges. Problem solving. It’s exciting. I may be shy and an irreparable introvert, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get bored. I’m excited about coming to work every day, and that hasn’t been true in a long time. And, turns out, Icanhandle the real world. I may be plagued with sweaty palms and the occasional stutter, but I’ve held my own. Even with the management.”

I chuffed and gave my head a shake. “You certainly have.”

The waiter swooped in to pour more wine and remove our empty plates.

Anna swirled her wine, took a sip, and let the glass dangle in her fingertips. “It’s been refreshing working for such a capable businessman. You’d be surprised how many CEOs don’t follow the financial performance of their own companies. I’ve worked with a lot of data sets over the years, and you, Marco DeVita, are an anomaly.” She tipped her head and her glass toward me.

When you come up in the Mafia, one of the first things you learn is to count your money. Too bad that line of defense didn’t protect you from snakes and cheats.

“If I were such a capable businessman, the performance of my European branch wouldn’t be tanking.” The bitter words left an unpleasant taste on my tongue.

She frowned, no doubt wondering how her compliment had gone sideways. “If there’s a leak, if it isn’t just the economy, you can’t blame yourself.”

“Can’t I? If there’s a leak, it means I brought someone into my family I shouldn’t have. That or someone I trust betrayed me. Either way, the blame lies with me.” The sting of failure burned my chest, and the look on Anna’s face made it worse. I didn’t deserve her sympathy.

“Sweet ricotta ravioli with an oxtail ragu,” the waiter announced.

Anna’s eyes widened, and she shifted her focus away from me and onto the steaming plates the waiter placed on the table.Grazie a Dio.

“Buon appetito,” he announced and left us to our meal.

“This looks amazing.” Anna closed her eyes, and a contented smile brightened her lovely features. “The smell…”

Warmth replaced the needling in my chest. The satisfaction of providing for her, of making her smile… It filled me with a sense of purpose and completeness.

“Knowing Chef, it’ll taste even better.”

We enjoyed our meal, and after several bites, Anna paused and lifted her fork. “Family is important to you.”

I nodded mid-bite.

---